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Stanozolol Description

Stanozolol is an androgenic anabolic steroid similar in its chemical makeup and medical effects to the naturally occurring hormone testosterone. Stanozolol is legally available in the United States only by prescription and comes both as a pill and in an injectible form. It is approved for use to treat hereditary angioedema, a condition marked by swelling of the extremities, face, genitals and other body parts. It's most famous, however, as a steroid used by athletes.

  1. Description

    • Stanozolol is androgenic, meaning it affects male sex characteristics. Androgens in stanozolol's class stimulate the liver's production of C-1 inhibitor, a protein that prevents inflammation, which is why stanozolol is used to control chronic angioedema. Of primary interest to athletes, however, is androgens' tendency to block the formation of fat deposits and to promote faster healing of muscle damage, allowing quicker recovery from workouts. Stanozolol is also classified as an anabolic steroid, which means it promotes the development of muscle mass. However, its muscle-building effects are not as pronounced as those of some other anabolic steroids. In other words, it doesn't produce that steroidal "pumped-up" look.

    Side Effects

    • Common side effects include acne, headache, difficulty sleeping and changes in sexual desire. More serious problems, which come into play especially when the drug is used improperly, affect sex characteristics. Men can experience frequent erections, development of breasts and shrinking of the testicles, which occurs as the presence of stanozolol causes natural testosterone production to decrease. Women can experience a deepening of the voice, menstrual changes and enlargement of the clitoris, plus a combination of hair loss and growth of facial hair.

      Some users experience mild to severe allergic reactions to stanozolol, such as hives, facial swelling and breathing difficulties. In extreme cases, liver problems develop, and these can be fatal. Warning signs include yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea, fatigue, dark urine, light-colored stools and abdominal pain.

    Identification

    • Stanozolol was developed in the 1960s by Winthrop Laboratories. The pill form was marketed as Winstrol and the injectible form as Winstrol Depot.

    Detection

    • Traces of stanozolol remain in the body for up to a month if the drug is taken orally, for several months if it is injected. Gary Wadler of New York University, an expert on drug use by athletes, told the Associated Press that there are no known masking agents that can hide stanozolol, so the steroid is easily detectable in a drug test. That's why another expert, Charles Yesalis of Penn State University, told the AP, "No tested athlete in their right mind should be using that drug."

    Scandals

    • Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1988 Olympics after testing positive for stanozolol. Other athletes who have been accused of using stanozolol include baseball players Barry Bonds (in the book "Game of Shadows"), Roger Clemens (by his former trainer) and Rafael Palmeiro (by Major League Baseball). Those players all denied knowingly taking steroids.

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